How often do you see students in conflict? Sometimes it seems like the funniest things that get them upset with one another. What if your students had positive conflict resolution skills?

My world would be changed. I might be out of a job if all of my students had excellent conflict resolution skills. These skills include working together and compromising. There are two building blocks to this: empathy and communication skills.

How do we teach conflict resolution?

Give students a safe place to practice. Resolving conflict is very difficult. It even makes adults uncomfortable. There are people that avoid it at all costs or on the other extreme just bulldoze their way through.

It is important that we teach our students how to handle conflict in a healthy manner. We all experience conflict. Help students understand that conflict is a normal part of life. It isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The more students practice resolving conflict the more comfortable they become. I often lead them to resolve their own conflicts by asking probing questions. The counselor will not always be available every time they have a disagreement in their lives.

Another method to teach conflict resolution is role-playing. Give students a chance to role-play conflict scenarios. This gives them the opportunity to practice but without the charged emotions and in a safe place.

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